The brassiere has been around for centuries in different forms. The brassiere is commonly referred to as a bra. A bra is a piece of clothing that typically supports, covers and may elevate the breasts of the individual wearing the piece of clothing. It is typically a piece of women's undergarments that are warn with other clothing. The bra is considered a fashion statement and a support structure for women to enhance, support and/or alter the profile of the body.
The bra was originally developed about two centuries ago and has evolved from a corset to the bra that we see today. Bras are different than their earlier garments in that they contain cups to support and cover the breast and also typically have shoulder straps to elevate and lift the breast to a desire height. Additionally, bras may have a variety of different colors, designs, fabrics and cup sizes to fit individuals with larger and/or smaller breast sizes.
The evolution of the bra is typically tied to the socioeconomic status of women throughout history. As women achieved higher and higher status in society, both in new occupations and activities, the outwear and the underwear evolved with these new social status and activities. At various points, women have used these garments and devices to cover, restrain or elevate their breasts.
Early in the development of the modern bra, the most common type of undergarment for the breast was the corset, which was used predominately by wealthier women and women of status. The corset pushed the breast upwards which gave the impression of larger, fuller breasts and helped support larger breasts. Later, many clothing designers that worked on women's clothes experimented with corset design by splitting the corset into multiple parts including support structures where the corset included shoulder straps or neck straps.
Soon thereafter, the modern bra became a reality, although they were not common place for the common woman until almost the first half of the 20th century. Since that time, the bra has become a very common garment used my most post-puberty women. The bra serves multiple purposes including both functionality of support, lift and body sculpturing. Additionally, the bra also serves a design purpose including visual enhancement and sometimes as a stand alone design characteristic.
The common bra typically consists of cups for the breasts, a center panel, a band running around the torso under the breast, and a shoulder strap for each side. Bras typically are made of some fabric, usually cotton or polyester. However, they can be constructed from spandex, lace and a plurality of different materials depending on the taste and feel of the individual. The cups of the bra are usually reinforced by underwire made of metal and/or plastic. Additionally, the bra is usually fastened with a hook fastener on the band, typically at the back. However, sometimes the fastener may be located on the front portion or even side portion of the bra depending on style, taste and design.
Many bras are fashioned with significant padding that functions to increase comfort and to make the breasts look bigger. Other types of bras, such as the push up bras, are designed to enhance the cleavage, and use padding to achieve this effect.
However, in the early 1960's a new problem came into play with the advent of breast augmentation. With breast augmentation, round or shaped breast implants are inserted either on top of or below the pectoral muscle, which is the large chest muscle the breast lies on top of. The implants can be inserted through the armpits, via the nipples, from below the breast, or even from the umbilicus through very small incisions, which leave minimal scarring of the breast tissue. An advantage of the procedure of having breast augmentation is the breasts ability to be supported by the implant. Women having received breast augmentations typically do not need as much support and/or lift that a bra provides and therefore many women with breast augmentation do not wear bras.
However, many individuals with breast augmentations may want to wear a bra for support, design and style. But these individuals do not need the formal structure of the bra including the straps, underwire and other support means because typically the after effects of breast augmentation allows for a woman to function without the need for a bra. Another potential problem for women that have undergone breast augmentation is the sensitivity of the breast nipples. Changes in sensitivity of the breast nipple may occur after breast augmentation whereby some individuals suffer from a lost of sensitivity. However, a large amount of women suffer from the opposite problem. Many women, after breast augmentation, are prone to breast nipple sensitivity wherein the breast nipple remains in a prolonged erect state. While a women with breast augmentation may not need a bra to support or lift her breasts, she may prefer to wear a bra to conceal the erect nipple from showing through the clothing.
Accordingly, a need therefore still exists for an apparatus that may be utilized by women with breast augmentation that is aesthetically pleasing yet functional.
Moreover, a need therefore exists for an improved bra design for women with breast augmentations wherein the bra provides very little support for the surgically enhanced breast, but allows for concealment of erect nipples in an aesthetically pleasing design.